Nursery Rhymes
by mymoonyandstars
Summary: Greyback stalks out his newest prey one night. [one shot, character study/practice]


**A/N**: This idea came to me randomly one day while trying to figure out how I wanted to write Greyback. This is the first time I've ever written him as a character and writing this made me excited to try writing about him more. I don't normally write about creepy characters but there's not much known about him and that makes him fun to write.

**Word Count**: 864

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The man stiffened as he heard a noise to his right. He had been waiting with bated breath most of the night, knowing that the object of his desire would pass by. He sat hidden from view in the thick of the overgrown bushes in the forest, his back pressed up against a wide tree trunk. He closed his eyes and deeply inhaled, smelling the scent of blood pulsing through the young child's neck. He licked his lips, a low moan escaping them. He shuddered with delight knowing that he would soon be able to partake in his next meal.

Still, he waited – waited until the child was far enough away that his hunt would be fun. When he could no longer find the scent permeating the air, he let out an excited growl, baring his teeth. He dropped to all fours and crawled slowly across the forest growth, tracking. It had been entirely too long since he had a proper hunt and he relished every second of it.

Climbing over broken branches and thick tree roots, the man moved deftly. He moved so quickly that it was almost as though he floated; he was well versed in the art of tracking. He paused as he caught the child's scent again.

The man sat up on his knees, inhaling deeply once more, unable to hold back his growl. He had finally caught up to the child and the fun would truly begin. He let the child get a little further from him and he returned to crawling carefully across the forest floor.

After several feet, the man decided to crawl closer to the path the child walked along. A dark smile crossed his face as he finally spotted the child. He allowed himself to be disappointed that the child wasn't a girl, but the little boy would be just fine. Little girls tasted sweeter, but scared little boys tasted just as well. _It's amazing how stupid their parents are_, the man thought to himself, watching as the child skipped along, humming. He knew that there had been talk in the nearby town about children going missing, but this one was just off on his own. _How lucky_.

Allowing the boy to get a little further, the man decided it was time to finally have his fun. He stretched to his full height and slipped onto the pathway behind the boy. The man walked slowly, waiting for the boy to make the discovery on his appearance on his own.

The little boy continued to skip along merrily, humming his happy tune, oblivious to the world around him. His only concern was getting home to his mama and snuggling in his warm bed. The seasons were quickly changing and the air held a chill.

Realizing that the child was not going to snap out of his thoughts, the man stepped on a large twig, smiling as the satisfying snap it made. The snapping twig provided the reaction he desired as the boy stopped mid-skip and turned around.

The boy opened his mouth to scream, but the man held a finger to his lips, slinking closer to the frozen child.

"Do you know nursery rhymes, boy?" the man asked, his voice husky. He stepped closer to the child who started shaking the closer he got.

With wide eyes, the boy nodded. He let out a small whimper as he took a small step back at the approaching man.

"I see the moon," the man said, gesturing to the open patch of sky, the near full moon shining into the clearing. "What's the next line?"

"And…and the moon sees me," the child said, voice shaking as hard as his body.

"I seem to forget the next line," the man said menacingly, another growl escaping him. He bared his teeth in the semblance of a smile.

Just as the boy was in the man's reach, the boy turned and ran. The man let out a barking laugh as the boy ran, knowing he would quickly catch up to the child. Nonetheless, he allowed the child his feeble attempt to escape.

The man began to count to five on his pointed and yellow-nailed fingers. The moment he reached five he followed in pursuit, quickly closing the space between them. He was impressed that the child had nearly cleared the length of the path back to the village, but the boy was not quick enough.

With a deep and guttural growl the man leaped onto the boy, tackling him to the ground. He tossed the boy around so that the boy was facing him, tears falling down his round little face.

"What was the next line, boy? You didn't answer before you ran off," the man growled, his pointed smile moving closer to the boys face.

"Merlin bless the moon," the boy answered, whimpering through his tears.

"Ah, yes. Now I remember."

Greyback ran his nose along the side of the crying child's face, trying to find the place he would bite into the boy. His breath heavy as he inhaled, ignoring the salty scent of his tears.

"And Merlin bless me," Greyback said, sinking his teeth into the boy's neck.


End file.
